BROCKTON A group of 14 Brockton High School students displayed their original photography Wednesday in the school’s fine arts building, bringing awareness to Brockton’s youth gambling problem through artwork .
Students in the middle schools’ PhotoVoice club, led by Brockton High photography teacher Amanda Dodge, created photographs and captions that illuminate the prevalence of play in children’s everyday lives.
Many people don’t realize gambling is as prevalent as it is, said Tayha Lesperance, a member of the PhotoVoice club and a junior at Brockton High. I notice it more now just knowing where to look for it.
At least 20 photographs were displayed in the school’s fine arts lobby at Wednesday’s art exhibit, showing images of parents holding lottery tickets, gas station signs advertising scratch tickets or students using betting apps sports on their mobile phones.
It’s definitely something they’re exposed to, said Cara Ferguson, prevention coordinator at High Point, an addiction treatment center in Plymouth County that partners with the BHS art department to bring the PhotoVoice club.
According to Ferguson, students are more likely to be exposed to problem gambling between the ages of 11 and 13 compared to substance use disorders, although most families perceive substance use to be more of a threat great for the health of their children.
Also, with Massachusetts recently legalizing online gambling and sports betting, parents, the Internet and social media have normalized problem gambling, Ferguson said.
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What is the PhotoVoice Club?
Since 2019, Brockton’s PhotoVoice club has brought attention to youth stakes through photography. Due to COVID, the first cohort of participants was unable to host an in-person art exhibit, but the first official in-person PhotoVoice ceremony was held last year.
Ferguson said the goal of the 10-month program is to “start teaching young people how to take risks in a healthy way” and develop leadership skills to help their fellow youth navigate gambling addiction. Participants also worked with Brockton elementary students to build coping skills in children before they reach middle school and open up conversations about mental health.
“These students are now trained to be active leaders in their community,” Ferguson said.
Lesperance said she doesn’t personally know anyone who struggles with problem gambling, but she knows people who know people affected by it. Before going through the program, she said she wouldn’t have known how to help.
“Now I can get the right help from someone,” he said.
PhotoVoice is funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Office of Problem Gambling Services, and according to the office’s research, 50% of high school students in the state reported gambling in their lifetime . Ferguson said children can easily circumvent online safeguards that prevent youth from playing underage.
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Photographs with hidden meanings
Each student submitted two original photos that responded to prompts about how problem gambling affects the local community. One of Lesperance’s photos depicted her and her friend’s sneakers raised to the sky as they lay in a nearby field. He said it represents the need to have a strong and supportive community.
“Teenagers feel like they can’t talk to adults and teachers about certain issues,” she said. “I feel like having someone with a strong community sets them up for greater success.”
Lesperance’s second image shows a gas station against a colorful sunset. She wrote in the caption below the photo that “when you think of gambling, I think of things that are very common that are in your everyday life. I think of gas stations, you don’t they would think. gambling, but it can be a contributing factor to an underlying problem.”
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Ethan Castro, a junior at Brockton High, took a picture of the Brockton High football team at a huddle before a game when teammate Terry Boston Jr., 15, was killed in a car accident during the summer. The image shows the team supporting each other during the tragic and challenging moment.
Castro also presented a portrait of a man with green light reflected in his glasses, representing him “being blinded by money.”
“People are divided by chasing money,” he said.
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